S.  SIPITZ, 


MANUFACTURER    OF 


lean  f  Filigree, 


C^old    and    Si 


ver. 


SANTA  FE,  NEW  MEXICO. 


J 


.  S.  SIFITZ, 


THE  JEWELER  OF 


SANTA  FE,  NEW  MEXICO. 


A    FULL    LINE   OF 


WATCHES,  CLOCKS,  JEWELRY,  SILVERWARE, 


At  Wholesale  and    Retail. 


SANTA  FE,  NEW  MEXICO. 


DENVER,  COLO.: 
TKIBUNE  PUBLISHING  Co. 


T   Manufacture  the  following  styles 
of  Goods  at  approximate  prices, 
as  per  Schedule: 

OOLD-20  KARATS  FINE. 


LADIES'  SETS,    PIN    AND    DROPS. 

Lily  of  Valley,             -       -       -       $15  oo  to  $18  oo 

Pansy,         -                                           14  oo   "  16  oo 

Buckle,    -       -                                       14  oo   "  1 6  oo 

Bow  and  Fringe,      -       -              -     15  oo   "  18  oo 

Coquetta,        -                             -         13  oo   "  15  oo 

Fern  Leaf,                                        -     15  oo   "  18  oo 

Fern  Leaf  and  Rosette,      -       -         15  oo    "  20  oo 

Wheat  Sheaf,     -       -                            15  oo   "  20  oo 

Round  Rosette,    -              -       -         14  oo  "  16  oo 

Bar  Rosette,       -       -               .             10  oo    "  15  oo 

Fuchsia,                                                  16  oo   "  20  oo 

Moss  Rose  and  Bud,        -  -    -             15  oo   "  18  oo 

Moss  Rose  and  Spiral  Bud,       -         15  oo   "  18  oo 

Scotch  Thistle,                                      14  oo   "  16  oo 

Oak  Leaf  Skeleton  and  Rosette,        15  oo   "  18  oo 

Slipper,                                                   10  oo   "  14  oo 

Guitar,        -       -       -       -       -            10  oo   "  14  oo 

Butterfly,                                                15  oo   "  18  oo 

Grapes  and  Stem,                                  16  oo   "  18  oo 
Pins  alone,  %  price ;     Drops,  l/3  price. 

BRACELETS. 

Braided,  per  pair,  $38  oo  to  $100  oo 

Woven  Wire,  per  pair,  -       -       -     25  oo   "  75  oo 

Solid  Work,  per  pair,               -         30  oo    "  75  oo 

Open  Filigree,  per  pair,        -            55  oo   "  125  oo 


3 
20-KARAT  GOLD  GOODS. 

(CONTINUED.) 


NECK    CHAINS. 

Braided,  each 
Woven  Wire, 
Rope,  each, 
International, 

>               -      -       -  $15  oo 
each,    ...           6  oo 
-     25  oo 
each,    -                        50  oo 

"  $100  oo 
75  °o 

"       IOO   OO 

"     150  oo 

GUARD    CHAINS. 

Braided,    - 
Rope,    - 
\Voven  \Virc 

50  oo 
45  0° 

ici   r^ri 

""       IOO   OO 

"       75  oo 

International, 

IOO    OO 

75  oo 
"     300  oo 

HAIR    ORNAMENTS. 

tt         2O   OO 

Head  Wheat, 
Pansy, 

each,    -       -       -         15  oo 
-     15  oo 

"          20   00 

18  oo 

CROSSES. 

Various  Styles 

,  each,         -                  3  oo 

"      25  oo 

RINGS. 

Band,  plain  and  fancy,          -       -       8  oo  "  15  oo 

Puzzle,  plain  and  fancy,    -                   7  50  "  15  oo 

Scale  Grape,     -       -       .       -              8  oo  "  12  oo 

Turquoise,    -               ...         10  oo  "  35  oo 

Navahoe  Garnet,    -       -       -       -       8  50  "  20  oo 

Native  Opal,        -       -    "  .       -         12  oo  ''  25  oo 

Sleeve  Buttons,  per  pair,       -       -     10  oo  '<  30  oo 

Studs  to  match,  per  set,    -       -         10  oo  "  18  oo 

Scarf  Pins,  each,                                   5  oo  "  8  oo 

Native  Stones  cut  and  set  up  to  order 
in   any   designs. 


STERLING  SILVER  WORK. 


SETS  OF  PINS  AND  DROPS,  same 
style  as  in  Gold,  except  in  much 

greater  variety — Daisy  included,  S  2  oo  to  3  5  oo 

Bracelets,  various  designs,  per  pair,  5  oo  "  20  oo 

Bangles,         "             "              ';  5  oo  "  20  oo 

Neck  Chains,  various  designs,  each,  5  oo  "  15  oo 

Neck  Chains,  Daisy  patterns,     "  6  oo  "  12  oo 

I  lair  Ornaments,  "Wheat,  each,      -  6  oo  "  8  oo 
Hair  Ornaments  —  Pansy,   Daisy, 

Lily,  Fuchsia,  etc ,       -       -       -  3  oo  '•  6  oo 
Hair  Ornaments — Butterfly,  Sword, 

Ball,               -       -       -       -       -  3  oo  "  6  oo 
Lockets,  all  sizes  and  styles,      -  i   oo  e  —     5  oo 
Crosses,       "               "  50  "  5  oo 
Combs,  all  sizes  and  styles,  Orna- 
mented Silver,  75°"  30  oo 
Combs,  all  sizes  and  styles,  Mar- 
guerite,                        -       -  7  50  "  15  oo 
Card  Cases,  all  sizes  and  styles,  in 

Morocco  boxes,        -       -       -  8  oo  "  45  oo 

Cigarette  Cases,  each,                     -  15  oo  "  25  oo 

Match  Cases,  each,       -       -       -  5  oo  "  8  oo 

Boquet  Holders,  each,     -  10  oo  "  20  oo 

Napkin  Rings,      -       -  5  oo  "•  15  oo 

Puzzle  Rings,  finger,  each,     -  2  50  "  4  oo 

Scarf  Pins,  each,          -       -       -  i  oo  "  3  oo 

Sleeve  Buttons,  per  pair,                -  2  50  "  4  oo 
Studs  to  match,  per  pair — sets  of 

two,     -                            -  3  oo  "  5  oo 


Native  work  in  any  designs  desired  at  reasonable 
prices,  and  satisfaction  guaranteed. 

Goods  sent  C.  O.  D.  to  any  pan  of  the  United 
States,  with  privilege  of  examination.  Send  in  your 
orders. 

Respectfully, 

S.  SIFITZ. 


TO  OUR  PATRONS  AND  FRIENDS. 


Owing  to  the  riiany  inquiries  daily  received  regarding  the 
process  of  manufacturing  Filigree— from  tourists  visiting  our 
Ancient  City,  we  take  pleasure  in  furnishing  the  following 
description  from  the  pen  of  Ernest  Ingersoll,  published  in 
Harper's  Bazar,  September,  1879. 


KIMGREE  JEWELRY. 

An  Interesting  Mexican  Manufacture 

rnilE  manufacture  of  Filigree  Gold  and  Silver  Jew- 
elry probably  originated  among  the  Italians,  was 
by  them  taught  the  Spaniards,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
conquest  was  brought  over  by  the  latter,  and  intro- 
duced to  the  Mexicans;  Santa  Fe,  Chihuahua  and 
the  city  of  Mexico,  probably  being  the  principal  points 
where  it  is  manufactured.  Until  the  time  that  Amer- 
ican ingenuity  and  taste  began  to  be  apparent  in  this 
branch  of  art,  the  manufacture  was  very  rude,  the  pat- 
terns simple  and  few — some  say  there  were  only  three 
of  these — and  Filigree  Jewelry  was  only  odd  and  fan- 
tastic, there  being  little  real  beauty  about  the  work. 
This  has  now  all  been  changed,  and  while  the  jewelry 
is  still  fantastic  in  appearance,  American  skill  has  in- 
vented patterns  which  display  much  beauty,  and  when 
worked  into  form  in  gold  or  silver  are  attractive,  taste- 
ful and  handsome  ornaments.  The  articles  manufac- 
tured are  principally  for  the  wear  of  females ;  breast- 
pins, scarf-pins,  shawl-pins,  combs,  ear-rings,  bracelets, 
finger-rings,  and  various  pretty  ornaments  for  the  hair. 


Although  of  late  the  manufacture  has  included  a  great 
variety  of  other  articles,  such  as  card-cases,  cigarette 
cases,  match-boxes,  etc.  In  fact,  the  Mexican  work- 
men, who  have  now  the  entire  manufacture  in  their 
hands,  claim  that  they  can  reproduce  any  pattern 
given  them  in  gold  or  silver  Filigree. 

In  Santa  Fe  the  manufacture  of  this  jewelry  is  be- 
coming more  important,  and  Filigree  work  is  becoming 
in  greater  demand.  Tourists  invest  in  Mexican  jew- 
elry because  in  itself  it  is  quaint  and  pretty,  and  is 
rarely  seen  in  the  East,  and  as  Souvenirs  of  the  An- 
cient City,  they  desire  naturally  to  take  away  some- 
thing which  has  an  unmistakably  native  appearance. 
The  gold  used  in  manufacturing  the  jewelry  is  either 
from  the  Old  Placers  or  the  New  Placers,  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  distant,  and  is  generally  bought  from 
Mexicans  who  earn  their  living  by  panning  out  the 
dust  from  the  washings  on  these  properties.  The  sil- 
ver comes  generally  from  Silver  City,  the  "  76  "  mine 
of  Bremen,  near  there,  supplying  the  ore,  and  the 
smelting  being  done  in  that  town.  It  is  brought  from 
there  in  a  crude  state,  and  refined  in  the  shops  where 
the  jewelry  is  made. 

THE   WORK    SHOP. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  those  vtho  have  seen 
Filigree  Jewelry  in  its  complete  form,  to  examine  for 
a  moment  the  process  by  which  the  pretty  designs  are 
wrought  out. 

First,  the  gold  and  silver  must  be  almost  absolutely 
without  alloy,  as  any  combination  of  the  baser  metals 
tends  to  destroy  the  necessary  ductility  of  the  metal 
which  is  to  be  operated  upon.  The  metal  as  it  is  re- 
quired is  melted  in  the  shop,  refined  and  then  cast  into 
flat  bars.  These  bars  or  plates  are  then  put  through 


r 

rollers  until  they  are  reduced  to  the  thickness  of  about 
one- eighth  of  an  inch,  and  a  foot  or  so  long.  Then, 
with  shears,  strips  are  cut  off  which  are  drawn  through 
holes  in  an  iron  plate  successively  smaller  until  the 
strip  becomes  a  wire  of  the  necessary  thickness.  The 
smallest  of  these  wires  are  of  the  thinness  of  fine  sew- 
ing silk,  but  are  perfect  in  roundness.  The  next  step 
is  the  twisting  of  the  wires  together,  which  is  now 
done  by  a  lathe,  this  having  been  found  easier  and 
quicker,  and  more  accurate  than  the  old  way  of  rolling 
the  two  wires  under  the  hand  on  a  board.  The 
twisted  wires  are  then  passed  through  rollers,  which 
turns  them  out  into  a  very  thin  tape  of  metal,  the  edges 
being  finely  and  regularly  notched,  the  effect  of  the 
twisting. 

The  workman  has  now  done  with  his  metal  wire 
for  a  minute,  and  lays  it  aside.  A  frame-work  of 
thicker  wire  is  made  to  receive  the  design  he  is  about 
to  manufacture,  and  this  is  placed  flat  upon  the  table. 
Into  this  frame  he  places  divisions  or  compartments, 
and  again  takes  up  his  wire.  Near  his  hand  is  a  block 
of  wood,  in  which  is  embedded  a  row  of  small  pins, 
or  rather  brass  teeth,  set  very  closely  together.  One 
end  of  the  wire  is  then  attached  to  the  central  peg, 
and  the  workman  proceeds  to  wind  his  wire  to  the 
pegs,  moving  with  each  turn  of  the  wire,  one  pin  away 
from  the  centre  in  each  direction.  When  he  has  con- 
tinued this  movement  until  he  considers  this  coil  of 
wire  is  sufficient  for  his  purpose,  he  cuts  the  tape  and 
slips  it  from  the  pins,  having  then  a  flat,  ovrJ  coil  of 
very  fine  metal  wire,  irregular  on  the  surface  with  the 
notches  of  the  edges.  This  coil  the  workman  can 
manage  as  he  pleases.  He  can  lengthen  it,  broaden 
it,  make  it  narrow,  insert  another  piece  of  another  de- 


sign,  and  manipulate  it  to  almost  any  extent,  so  flexi- 
ble is  the  wire,  without  marring  the  appearance  pro- 
duced by  the  indentations  of  the  edges.  He  then  fits 
this  coil  into  the  frame-work,  solders  it  there  after  fit- 
ting it  with  fine  pinchers  and  nippers,  and  adds  coil 
after  coil,  if  more  than  one  is  needed,  until  the  figure 
is  completed. 

The  patterns  worked  into  jewelry  in  Santa  Fe  are 
without  number,  numerous  imitations  of  feather  and 
scroll  work  and  flowers  being  manufactured  from  the 
crude  gold  and  silver.  According  to  the  taste  of  the 
customer,  and  his  desire  to  incur  expense,  jewels  are 
added  to  increase  the  brilliancy  of  the  article.  Not 
only  is  the  whole  work  done  without  the  aid  of  any 
machine,  but  on  almost  every  piece  of  jewelry  accur- 
ate messurement  is  required  to  proportion  the  work 
exactly,  and  this  is  all  done  by  the  eye  merely,  without 
the  aid  of  rule,  mould  or  die.  The  ornamentation  is 
produced  simply  by  bending  or  pressing  the  wire,  no 
engraving,  chiseling  or  inlaying  appearing  on  any 
piece.  The  work,  of  course,  requires  time,  and  hence, 
Mexican  jewelry  is  rather  costly,  though  the  prices 
asked  in  Santa  Fe  are  smaller  than  one  who  has 
watched  the  tedious  and  careful  process  would  expect. 


'•- 


